Restaurant review:
Fuul to remember
There are moments in life when your yearning for adventure surpasses your fear, the courage to explore driven by unbearable boredom or else spontaneous enthusiasm. It was a little bit of both that drove me to leave the house past midnight and aimlessly wander the streets of Cairo listening to music and gasping at the charming full moon. How pretty, I thought to myself, feeling that the situation called for something out of the ordinary. What that thing could be I was at a complete loss to say -- until, that is, my mobile phone rang; and seeing the name on the screen I could tell the fun was about to start -- it always does with my teenage cousins Ahmed and Mustafa.
They were calling to see if I was up for a felucca on the Nile and maybe a snack later. Was I now? Having those two on my hand, I was sure, would result in an encounter to remember. Nor was I particularly distressed when, on the way to the river, Mustafa phoned to say we were going directly to the sprawling suburb of Maadi for Cairo's very best late-night fuul. According to his friend, he said, Am Attia was hip hip hip, the place to go for a fuul sandwich or shaaet fuul at 3-10am not only for Maadi dwellers but throughout the land. Such mouth-watering information brought back memories of Friday afternoons when my father would make his amazingly palatable, huge bowl of homemade fuul ; I have yet to discover exactly how he achieved that perfect consistency -- suitable not only for my taste buds but, crucially, for my colon, the organ most affected by the magic bean. It was at this point, still driving, that danger flashed before my eyes: with a particularly sensitive colon, a "primitive vendor", as my cousin described Am Attia, might give me a hard time indeed; panic set in, eventually eased by my cousins, who said that 25 years working from a greenhouse across the road made Am Attia rather more skilled than risky. "Eased" is perhaps the wrong word, for my hypochondria remained with me until the last moment; it was rather that their enthusiasm made it more of a challenge, and I thought if I could do street food once I could probably do absolutely anything.
As a mantra I began reciting the health benefits of this, one of the earth's oldest plants: soluble fibre (good for cholesterol), low calorie and fat content, plenty of protein and starch as well as B-complex vitamins, iron, potassium, and zinc.
The street where my cousin motioned for me to park was packed with young men eating out of trays placed on their cars with a look that spelled satisfaction. It was 3.30am; and somehow my fear evaporated, overcome by curiosity about what Am Attia looks like and the taste of his delights. Protective as macho men should be, my cousins only allowed me the briefest glimpse of the greenhouse, where the man worked with two assistants offering one of three options: plain, with eggs or with onions. A place to sit out rather than in, this: one huge bench, a zeer and kooz for water and, well, very little else. It didn't take long for the tray to arrive and it took only a bite to fall in love. Fresh, fresh and -- clean. The baladi bread was just out of the oven and fuul and pickled aubergine portions were generous; everything tasted delightful, especially accompanied by green chilli and torshi (Egyptian pickles). Under the circumstances, who cares about the colon? A place that earns your trust, I concluded, with amazing speed: quality and quantity were both flawless; and the host's warmth and attitude lends the experience a certain magic.
In his galabeya he walks around, calling his clientele by name, making sure all is well. Fuul and pickles are all he offers, and he must ensure that they are doing their work. For Ramadan, when he works from 10pm to dawn, Am Attia seems a particularly exciting option, an adventure not to be missed whatever the case.
Am Attia, right behind Maadi Grand Mall adjacent to the railroad crossing.
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